Adjustable stool-back rest.



No. 818,293. PATENTED APR. 17, 1906. L. M. RICH. ADJUSTABLE STOOL BACK REST.

APPLICATION FILED 1336.22, 1904.

, adapted to be attached to the stool.

LESTER M. RICH, OF CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA.

ADJUSTABLE STOOL-BACK REST- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 17, 1906.

Application filed December 22, 1904. Serial No. 237,912.

1'0 aZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LESTER M. RICH, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Cedar Rapids, county of Linn, State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Stool- Back Rests, of which the following is a full and clear specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a perspective view of my improved device, showing it attached to a screw piano-stool; and Fig. 2 a horizontal section taken through the supporting-game .ig. 3 s a view similar to Fig. 2, showing a modified form of the device.

The object of this invention is to providea simple and durable back-rest attachment which may be readily attached to and detached from a piano-stool and which may be readily adjusted to suit the user and which will be ornamental in appearance.

To the accomplishment of this object and such others as may hereinafter appear the invention consists of the parts and combination of parts hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which the same reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings by reference characters, the letter a designates the backengaging part, which is supported on the upper ends of three resilient metal rods 1), suitably curved to bring the back-rest a to the proper position and to give the desired resiliency. The lower ends of the rods 1) work through vertical holes in a cross-bar c and are rigidly supported in their adjusted positions by set-screws d. The bar 0 is supported on the outer ends of a pair of parallel rods 6, these rods extending inward under the seat of the stool upon opposite sides of the screwsupport thereof and working through a pair of open-ended tubes f, which form a part of a frame adapted to be attached to a part of the stool. This frame consists of the aforesaid tubes, a cross-bar g, rigidly connecting the outer ends of said tubes, and suitable means for connecting the inner ends of the tubes, this means being adapted for attachment to a part of the stool. In the present instance this means consists of a pair of clips 7', semicircularly bent midway their ends to embrace and clamp the stool-screw, the opposite ends of these clamp-plates being provided with openings to permit them to be slipped on over the threaded ends f of the tubes f and to be clamped thereon against annular shoulders h on the tubes by means of nuts 7c. To look the tubes 6 in their adjusted position, set-screws i are tapped through the enlarged parts 71,, so that they shall bear upon therods.

In the construction above described it will be observed that I provide an exceedingly simple, durable, and inexpensive attachment which is adapted for attachment to practically all the piano-stools now on the market. It will be observed also that by supporting the back-rest upon two or more horizontal rods the danger of deranging the adjustment by a twisting or torsional action is avoided. This is an important advantage in that even should the set-screws i be not tightenedv up on the rods there will be no danger of the back-rest swinging down, and, in fact, even a slight binding by but one of the set-screws willsufiice to hold the back-rest in position, whereas if but a single supporting-rod were used a considerable degree of binding would be necessary to hold the back-rest in an upright position when subjected to the usual strains that a device of this sort would neces sarily encounter.

The use of a pair of supporting-rods arranged upon opposite sides of the screw not only provides for a substantial and rigid support for the back-rest, but also provides for a wide range of adjustment in that by that arrangement of the rods they may be adjusted back and forth without interference with the stool-screw. A further advantage lies in the use of a rigid tubular frame braced at its opposite ends and so located that it will be practically invisible to the ordinary observer.

As shown in Fig. 1, the two outer backsupporting rods may be connected together at their lower ends by an integral part Z, and the central rod may depend far enough to rest against or engage this part Z. This arrangement of the back-su porting rods contributes to ornateness an rigidity, and, fur thermore, renders it impossible for ladies dresses to catch on the lower ends of the rods and be torn. With a structure of this sort the back-supporting piece a may be connected solely to the central rod 6 and permitted to have a pivotal motion on said rod, if desired, in order that the back-piece may oscillate with the movements of the performer,

and thereby contribute to the comfort of the performer. In this case the central rod 1) may be made slightly larger than the outer rods, and the upper ends of the outer rods will of course be disconnected from the backpiece or the outer rods may be entirely omitted.

In the modification shown in Fig. 3 the crossbar c is divided longitudinally into two clamp plates m, which are adapted to be clamped on the rods 1) by nuts 12,, tapped on the projecting ends of the rods e, the inner plate being rigidly secured to the rods and the outer plate being loose on the projecting threaded ends of the rods. To further simplify the structure so that it may be cast readily in one piece, I may do away with the tubes, f and use instead parallel rods 2 connected at their forward ends by the cross-bar g and at their rearends by the inner clamp plate and preferably at a point intermediate their ends by an additional cross-bar 0. In this way a simple rigid frame is provided which may be cast cheaply of a single piece of metal. The tubularthreaded endsf are formed integral with the frame, as in Figs. 1 and 2.

Having thus described my invention, what I I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An adjustable detachable back-rest for stools, consisting of a frame comprising parallel members connected by cross-pieces at their outer and their inner ends, the crosspiece at the inner ends forming part of the stool-engaging devices, additional stool-engaging devices adapted to cooperate with said inner cross-piece, a pair of parallel rods extending through said frame upon opposite sides of the seat-screw and adjustably supported in said frame, a device connecting the projecting ends of said rods, and a back-rest supported on said connecting device, substanti ally as set forth.

2. An adjustable back-rest for stools, consisting of a frame comprising parallel members connected by cross-pieces at their outer as well as their inner ends, the cross-piece at the inner end forming part of the stool-engaging devices, an additional movable crosspiece adapted to cooperate with said inner cross-piece, threaded tubular portions f extending from the frame through holesin this movable cross-piece, a pair of parallel rods extending through said frame upon opposite sides of the seat-screw and adjustably suported in said frame, nuts 7c screwed on t 1e threaded extensions f for the purpose set forth, said rods extending through said nuts, a cross-bar connecting the projecting ends of said rods, and a back-rest supported on this latter cross-bar, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses, this 10th day of December, 1904.

LESTER M. RICH.

Witnesses:

VINCENT SoHwAB, ADoLPn LEOFFELHOLZ. 

